1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a game which most specifically utilizes the sense of touch, memory and sight as an avenue to entertain and educate while improving sensory abilities, finger dexterity, cognitive capacity and mental imaging skills.
2. Prior Art
Upon conducting the patent search, a number of related patents were found. Some were similarly based on the theme of touch, while others did not apply to this patent. The following is a list describing those which most closely relate to this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,105 to Winston (1969) discloses a game in which three dimensional objects are identified by touch and then selected to match a visual illustration of the object on a playing card. However the objects in Winston's game are described as simple geometric shapes and letters, having no interesting historical or educational value. As such his objects are extremely limited in scope and tactile diversity. Also, a visual illustration is used as the only means to inform the player of which objects to search for by touch. This eliminates the potential to utilize other sensory perceptions to be used as input. By using only a single means as input to the brain there lies no possibility to create and strengthen cerebral cortex connections between the brain, which would not only greatly enhance the play experience but also provide higher sensory stimulation and development. Another factor to point out is that Winston's game incorporates the use of an enclosed game apparatus with multiple hand apertures so that as many players as desired could play. This poses two problems in that the actual apparatus, when manufactured, would have to be large enough to accommodate this multitude of unspecified hand apertures creating an unnecessarily bulky game container, and if more than one player's hands are using the apparatus simultaneously, they would conflict with one another's ability to find and identify game pieces within the game container. Finally, Winston's game apparatus is described as entirely opaque in order to successfully conceal the pieces inside from view. However, this eliminates the exciting possibility of other inactive players observing an active player searching for pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,084 to Miller (1994) discloses a game which relies on the sense of touch of unseen geometric objects placed inside a obscure container and requires three players in the form of a visual interpreter, a tactile interpreter and a judge. The judge arranges the objects within the container, the tactile player then feels the concealed arrangement and describes it to the visual interpreter who must then sketch what was described by the tactile interpreter. The objects are not represented individually, but as a group or arrangement. The objects are not identified and withdrawn from the container in conjunction to a representation on a playing card. Also, the players do not play individually and develop their own sensory strengths, but are required to form a team in order to play, which limits the opportunity to play and also the chance to enhance individual skills.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,298 to Breslow (1976) discloses a game which utilizes a number of different shaped playing pieces in conjunction with playing cards corresponding to the pieces with visual illustrations. It incorporates several apparatus to obscure these pieces, requiring more storage and a higher probability of them becoming lost. It does not rely on the sense of touch to identify the objects, but rather on memory on behalf of the individual player to remember which objects are concealed under which apparatus. This method of identifying the objects becomes more like a guessing game as they are shifted to different positions and does not require much skill or strengthen any sensory abilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,370 to Skinner (1989) discloses a game that utilizes the sense of touch that incorporates the use of a hollow container that is open on either end with a partition in the middle having aperture matching the shape of simple geometric blocks. A player manipulates the objects through the appropriate aperture using only the sense of touch. It does not incorporate the use of complex objects or any form of card or other such method to be used to help identify individual objects. It is a very basic and monotonous exercise that could quickly exhaust its limited resource of objects used. Because objects are not identified by the sense of touch in response to some method to describe or depict those objects, it does not relate to this game.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,527 to Benditt (1959) disclose a game that utilizes a large number of miniature renditions of well known objects. However, it does not rely on the sense of touch as a means to identify those objects, but rather on visual observation, and therefore does not apply to this game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,311 to Johnson (1996) discloses an game in which multiple players identify a separate areas of a single object within an obscured structure by the sense of touch simultaneously. Players are not able to feel the entire object, only a small portion of it.
The following describes other patents discovered in the patent search that do not relate to this game. U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,672 to Fillers (1987) discloses a guessing game involving players guessing amounts of concealed objects. U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,075 to Glass and Breslow (1971) discloses a word game that utilizes alphabet letters and a catapult that launches individual letters. Players must try to identify a letter in mid air and catch it if they can use it to spell a word with other letter they have. This patent only relies on the sense of touch in that players select letters from a concealed container and upon obtaining them, must decide which one they will get rid of by using the catapult. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,465 to Dawson (1992) discloses a game which is based on shape recognition with the use of clue cards that decrease in point value as more clues are revealed to identify an object. It does not utilize objects in corresponding to the clues on the cards. U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,351 to Vermette discloses a game that allows player to perform manual operations within a visually obscured enclosure for the purpose of rehabilitation and evaluation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,623,723 to Helbach (1971) discloses a finger manipulation game where three dimensional objects are placed around the fingers of a player and then manipulated to match randomly positioned corresponding objects. U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,897 to Andersen (1983) discloses a game in which the playing pieces are in groups of geometric shapes in successively decreasing sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,863 to Novotny (1988) discloses a confectionery guessing game. U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,535 to Roberts (1992) discloses a bible quiz game. U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,332 to Kidd (1975) discloses a game utilizing two sets of cards that are to be matched together. The cards are mounted in either a cylindrical or rectangular shaped frame within a rotatable holder.
My own patent describes a game which utilizes a single, multi-purpose game apparatus, game pieces which are complex, educational and unlimited in number and requires the use of the sense of touch as a means to identify individual pieces in response to various sensory stimulus. Nevertheless all of the relevant games mentioned above suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) They utilize only one form of sensory input to be offered as a clue to which piece to search for by touch, in the form of a visual representation on a card. This feature completely eliminates the exciting possibility of utilizing other senses, which would not only enhance the play experience greatly, but would also strengthen the connection between these senses and help develop them further. PA1 (b) They use game pieces that are limited in range in the respect that they do not utilize the vast number of possibilities that exist and do not take into consideration the powerful educational role these piece can have. PA1 (c) They incorporate the use of bulky and awkward containers that when manufactured would require not only more material to create, but would also require further research and development to determine the most viable form, both of which would greatly increase production costs. PA1 (d) They do not possess the capability for continued expansion by adding on to the game by purchasing new unique themed sets. This feature would allow the game to continually evolve and further educate and entertain its players, making the game more marketable with a higher profit potential.